"Unless the oil slick is cleaned up before March 2008, the
ecological situation in the area is likely to worsen dramatically
", states Greenpeace in its appeal to Prime Ministers Viktor Zubkov
and Viktor Yanukovich. The number of oil-poisoned birds, including
rare and endangered species can rocket if the shore and water will
not be cleaned from the oil products quickly, warns Greenpeace.
According to Greenpeace data, the effects of Kerch disaster are
likely to affect the environment in the area for up to 10
years.
"The tanker shipwreck and the spilled oil clean-up works
revealed a whole range of problems with spill prevention and
response in both countries", says Alexey Kiselev, the head of
Greenpeace Russia toxic program. "Also it has proved that it is
impossible to combat large-scale oil spills at sea and our main
goal now is to avoid such spills in future".
There are almost no sea oil spill and toxic pollution prevention
and response programs in Russia, as well as in Ukraine. Both
countries still haven't ratified several international conventions
on marine environment protection from toxic substances including
oil and oil products. So far, the Russian government has extensive
plans for developing new oil fields in Caspian and Baltic seas, on
Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Arctic shelfs.
Greenpeace called on the Russian and Ukrainian governments to
outline a bilateral agreement on joint action and mutual assistance
in the event of a major oil spill in the Black and Azov seas as
well as enter the International Protocol on Preparedness, Response
and Cooperation to Pollution Incidents (OPRC) and Convention on
Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (Bunkers
Convention).
Greenpeace is calling for establishment of a network of marine
reserves in the most vulnerable sea areas closed to fishing,
drilling, oil and toxics transportation as well as to all the
activities that can cause damage to the unique and sensitive marine
ecosystems.